April 2010
Volume 51, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   April 2010
The Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment in an Urban Indian Population in Asia: The Singapore Indian Eye (SINDI) Study
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Y. Zheng
    Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
  • W.-L. Wong
    Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
  • E. Lamoureux
    Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
    Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
  • T. Aung
    Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
    Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
  • N. Cheung
    Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
  • J. J. Wang
    Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
    Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • P. Mitchell
    Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • T. L. Young
    Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
  • S.-M. Saw
    Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
    Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
  • T. Y. Wong
    Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
    Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  Y. Zheng, None; W.-L. Wong, None; E. Lamoureux, None; T. Aung, None; N. Cheung, None; J.J. Wang, None; P. Mitchell, None; T.L. Young, None; S.-M. Saw, None; T.Y. Wong, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support  This study was supported by the Biomedical Research Council (BMRC), 08/1/35/19/550, Singapore
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science April 2010, Vol.51, 5208. doi:
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      Y. Zheng, W.-L. Wong, E. Lamoureux, T. Aung, N. Cheung, J. J. Wang, P. Mitchell, T. L. Young, S.-M. Saw, T. Y. Wong; The Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment in an Urban Indian Population in Asia: The Singapore Indian Eye (SINDI) Study. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2010;51(13):5208.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose: : To describe the prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness in an urban Indian population in Singapore.

Methods: : A population-based, cross-sectional study of Indian persons aged 40 years and older residing in Singapore was conducted in 2007-9. An age-stratified random sample of 6,350 Indian names residing in south-western Singapore was provided from a national database. Potential participants were contacted by telephone and home visits to determine study eligibility, and invited to a centralized clinic. Participants underwent standardized ophthalmic assessments to determine: (1) presenting and best corrected visual acuity (VA) using the US definition of blindness and low vision; and (2) the primary causes of visual impairment. Prevalence rates were adjusted using the 2000 Singapore census data for the Indian sub-population.

Results: : Of the 6,350 names selected, 4,555 were eligible to participate, and of these, 3,379 (74.2%) were examined. When defined using presenting VA, the population-weighted prevalence of bilateral blindness was 0.5% (95%CI: 0.3-0.9) and of bilateral low vision, 16.9% (95%CI: 15.6-18.4). When defined using best-corrected VA, the corresponding prevalence of bilateral blindness was 0.25% (95%CI: 0.11-0.52) and of bilateral low vision 8.9% (95%CI: 7.7-10.2). Under-corrected refractive error was the main cause of presenting unilateral (68.1%) and bilateral (60.7%) visual impairment, whereas cataract was the main cause of presenting unilateral (31.1%) and bilateral (42.9%) blindness. Diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma were the other leading causes of blindness and low vision.

Conclusions: : The age-standardized prevalence of bilateral blindness and low vision in an Indian population living in Singapore were lower than reported from studies in rural India, but slightly higher than reported in the Malay population living in Singapore. Cataract is the leading cause of blindness and under-corrected refractive error and cataract are the leading causes of low vision.

Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence • low vision • visual acuity 
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